Comprehensive
Plan Update: A Plan for Conservation & Growth Management
Charlestown Township
– Chester County, PA
A Plan for the Protection of Historic
Resources
Overview
Historic
resource protection is an important element in maintaining a community’s
character and the quality of life for its residents. A historic resources protection program provides a
historical context for future planning and land use policies, especially as
those policies affect change.
Older buildings, sites, and neighborhoods, and the community’s
heritage help to determine what style and scale of future development is
appropriate. Responding to the
historical character of a place gives residents a connection to the origins of
their community and their region[1].
The Historic Resource Protection Plan is required by Article III of the Municipalities Planning Code (MPC) as amended on August 22, 2000. The MPC requires the inclusion of “a plan for the protection of…historic resources to the extent not preempted by federal or state law.” Historic resources are given further credence through Article VI - Zoning, which references the “protection and preservation of …historic resources…” under Section 603, Ordinance Provisions. Section 604, Zoning Purposes, states that the provisions of zoning ordinances “shall be designed to promote, protect and facilitate… the preservation of the …historic values in the environment.” Section 605, Classifications, states that “classifications may be made within any district…for the regulation, restriction or prohibition of uses and structures at, along or near…places having unique historical, architectural or patriotic interest or value…”
Act 167 dated June 13, 1961, as amended April 23, 1963, addresses historic resource protection through the creation of historic districts. The Act “authorizes [municipalities] to create historic districts within their geographic boundaries; provides for the appointment of Boards of Historical Architectural Review; empowers governing bodies of political subdivisions to protect the distinctive historical character of these districts and to regulate the erection, reconstruction, alteration, restoration, demolition or razing of buildings within the historic districts.”
Historic Resources Protection in Charlestown Township
In
1976, Charlestown Village was placed on the National Register of Historic
Places. In 1979, in response to
this (and based on the provisions of Act 167), Charlestown Township created the
Charlestown Village Historic District regulated under Article VII of the Zoning
Ordinance. The intent of the
Ordinance is to protect the distinctive character of the Village which attests
to the Township’s cultural, historical and architectural heritage; to reinforce
the community’s interest in its past; to promote the general welfare,
education and culture of the Township; to advocate an interest in civic beauty
and harmony among building styles; and to promote educational,
recreational,
and cultural activities within the Township. The Ordinance provided for the creation of a Board of
Historical and Architectural Review and requires that any plans for
construction, demolition or alteration to any structure within the District
must first gain the Board’s approval.
Historic Resources Protection Goals
The
goals, objectives, and strategies outlined in Chapter 4 include the protection
of historic resources in various forms.
Goal 5 refers to the conservation of heritage landscape resources by
promoting the Open Space Option in relation to historic resources. Goal 7 refers to the protection of
scenic viewsheds and scenic features, which includes those that contribute to
the Township’s heritage and historic character.
Existing Historic Resources
Map 14,
researched by the Charlestown Township Historical Commission, inventories the
Township’s existing historic resources. It depicts the Charlestown Village National Register
Historic District, the Middle Pickering Rural Historic District, and the
locations of all Class I Historic Resources, Other Historic Resources of Local
Significance, and Historic Building Ruins. A list of historic properties in Charlestown Township is
maintained by the Historical Commission and is available at the Township
office.
Strategies and Recommendations for Historic Resources Protection
To
adequately protect historic resources, a preservation plan should be
coordinated with zoning, land use, and growth management.[2] Many of the land use and growth
management policies and strategies contained within this Comprehensive Plan are
also aimed at preserving historic resources. The future land use policy recommendations associated with
the Special Heritage Protection Areas and Minimal Impact Areas (see Map 5) are
designed to help preserve the landscape and historic fabric of those
areas. The housing plan advocates
a mix of housing types including village-style development (especially in the
Village of Devault) that is compatible with the existing historic fabric.
Specific
strategies advocated in the Plan that are appropriate for historic resources
protection
are the
use of Conservation Design, the Open Space Option, and the Transfer of
Development Rights.
Other
recommendations specific to historic resources protection include:
HISTORIC
MAP
·
Consider
the adoption of a historic resources protection ordinance, with an emphasis on
alternatives to demolition.
·
Develop
an outreach program to address the concerns of property owners and to educate
all parties on the benefits and costs of historic preservation, as well as
available funding for preservation efforts.
·
Collaborate
with organizations such as the French and Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust,
the Brandywine Conservancy, and the Natural Lands Trust to bring historically
significant properties under conservation easement.
·
Encourage
further participation in voluntary programs such as Agricultural Security
Areas, Act 515, and Act 319.